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gardener, who held his horse all this while, gave him a nine-penny piece, saying, "Honest friend, your master wants to speak with you. Then mounting, he rode off the grounds, whilst the gardener made haste to his master, and was very much surprised to find him bound in that manner; but he immediately loosed him, and the gentleman returned him thanks for sending a rogue to rob him in his gardens.
One day, as Robin was in search of adventures near the skirts of the forest, he met a priest well mounted, with a fat
buck across bis saddle, and disguised in a countryman's frock. Being in want of a horse, he resolved to rob the parson, and laying hold of the bridle, ordered him to dismount; but the priest struck a furious blow at Robin with the butt-end of his whip, which he received on his staff, and soon brought the priest to the ground.
After robbing the parson of his money and horse, and requesting to be remembered in his prayers, Robin rode off for Stratford. On the road he fell in with a rich country dealer going to purchase goods at Lanenster, with whom he soon got aequainted, and they travelled together; but the merchant was so close that Robin could make nothing of him. On reaching Coventry, where they dined together, and drank some good wine and ale, Robin told his fellow-traveller, that as the roads they had to travel were so dangerous, the safest way was to conceal their money in their boots, and on seeing Robin deposit a bag of gold, the merchant did the same. They again continued their journey until they came to a part of the road which crossed two ways, where Robin pulled off the merchant's boots, in which he got three hundred pieces of gold, and rode off for Sherwood Forest.
Our adventurer was a man of great courage, and a bold,
